JEFFERSON CITY - Gov. Matt Blunt today issued the following statement on news reports that have exposed plans by U.S. Senator Barack Obama to use Missouri law enforcement to threaten and intimidate his critics.

“St. Louis County Circuit Attorney Bob McCulloch, St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce, Jefferson County Sheriff Glenn Boyer, and Obama and the leader of his Missouri campaign Senator Claire McCaskill have attached the stench of police state tactics to the Obama-Biden campaign.

“What Senator Obama and his helpers are doing is scandalous beyond words, the party that claims to be the party of Thomas Jefferson is abusing the justice system and offices of public trust to silence political criticism with threats of prosecution and criminal punishment.

“This abuse of the law for intimidation insults the most sacred principles and ideals of Jefferson. I can think of nothing more offensive to Jefferson’s thinking than using the power of the state to deprive Americans of their civil rights. The only conceivable purpose of Messrs. McCulloch, Obama and the others is to frighten people away from expressing themselves, to chill free and open debate, to suppress support and donations to conservative organizations targeted by this anti-civil rights, to strangle criticism of Mr. Obama, to suppress ads about his support of higher taxes, and to choke out criticism on television, radio, the Internet, blogs, e-mail and daily conversation about the election.

“Barack Obama needs to grow up. Leftist blogs and others in the press constantly say false things about me and my family. Usually, we ignore false and scurrilous accusations because the purveyors have no credibility. When necessary, we refute them. Enlisting Missouri law enforcement to intimidate people and kill free debate is reminiscent of the Sedition Acts - not a free society.”

__________________
USAF (RET)
NRA Life Member
GOA
SAF

The scariest words in the English language: I'm from the government and I'm here to help!President Ronald Reagan

MS has specific laws making it a crime to publish or repeat falsehoods. The law was never intended to stop political discussions.

BHO and his MS supporters are attempting to force these laws be used against the McCain people in MS, in an attempt to quell the debate.

This would be a clear violation of the 1A. (the MS law maybe also)

Please read the link I posted. I don't know what MS has to do with MO, the state where the governor made his political press release. The show-me-state is Missouri, not Mississippi. St. Louis is in Missouri, not Mississippi.
No one is using criminal laws to intimidate anyone. No one is violating the 1A (have you read it?). It reads:Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
BHO and his MO supporters have not made such a law.
If they enforced such a law, the law would be unconstitutional for violating the 1A.
Specifically, what law are you saying they are attempting to use to violate the 1A? How is that law unconsitutional?
Thanks

Please read the link I posted. I don't know what MS has to do with MO, the state where the governor made his political press release. The show-me-state is Missouri, not Mississippi. St. Louis is in Missouri, not Mississippi.
No one is using criminal laws to intimidate anyone. No one is violating the 1A (have you read it?). It reads:Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
BHO and his MO supporters have not made such a law.
If they enforced such a law, the law would be unconstitutional for violating the 1A.
Specifically, what law are you saying they are attempting to use to violate the 1A? How is that law unconstitutional?
Thanks

Sorry for the bad abrivation: It's MO not MS.

The legal eagles in MO keep referring to MO Ethics Laws and the BHO supports are looking to enforce them against McCain folks. (RSMO Chapter 105 seems to be it)

It would appear these are untested laws that may not stand up as constitutional, if they ever get that far in the courts.

But I am only repeating what I've read, I am not a lawyer and have never played one on TV.

__________________
USAF (RET)
NRA Life Member
GOA
SAF

The scariest words in the English language: I'm from the government and I'm here to help!President Ronald Reagan